Will Gregorak and Julia Ford lead the 13 member squad The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) has tabbed for the 2010 World Junior Championships in France.

The title meet is slated the Mont-Blanc region of France Jan. 30-Feb. 6. The athletes, ages 15-19, qualified for the Team based on NorAm Cup results this season.

The World Junior Championships are an important international event in the development pipeline, matching the best ski racers in the world together. The events in the Mont-Blanc region will be held in Chamonix, Megeve and Les Houches.

“This is an outstanding team with quite a few veterans qualifying for their second or third Championships,” said USSA National Competition Director Walt Evans. “The venues at Megeve and Chamonix are particularly well suited to our Team.”

Among the veterans are returning athletes Will Gregorak from Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, who was fourth in downhill at last year’s Championships. He’ll be joined by Holderness School’s Julia Ford, who was fourth in combined. Both are now on the U.S. Ski Team. Ford is current second in the NorAm Cup standings, while Gregorak is fifth.

Evans will serve as team leader for the group, with Randy Pelkey heading the men and John Hale the women.

The men open with the giant slalom in Les Houches on Jan. 31, with the women kicking it off with super G in Megeve.

Two athletes qualified for the team but will miss the Championships due to injury: Kara Shaw of Burke Mountain Academy and Keith Moffat of the Squaw Valley Ski Team.

Photo of Gregorak from last season’s meet by GEPA

More information on the World Junior Championships is available online at: www.mondiauxskijunior2010.com/

2010 U.S. ALPINE WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
(name, birthdate, hometown, USSA club)

Men
Michael Ankeny, 1/17/91, Wayzata, Minn. (Buck Hill Ski Club) *
Kieffer Christianson, 8/11/92, Anchorage (Burke Mountain Academy)
Nick Daniels, 4/5/91, Tahoe City, Calif. (Squaw Valley Ski Team) *
Jared Goldberg, 6/17/91, Salt Lake City (Team Flow)
Colby Granstrom, 9/21/90, Lake Stevens, Wash. (Mission Ridge Ski Team) *
Will Gregorak, 9/30/09, Longmont, Colo. (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) *
Wiley Maple, 5/22/90, Aspen, Colo. (Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club) *

Women
Vanessa Berther, 2/11/92, Sammamish, Wash. (Team Alpental Snoqualmie) *
Greta Byrne, 5/12/93, Vail, Colo. (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) *
Devin Delaney, 2/24/91, North Conway, NH (Green Mountain Valley School) *
Julia Ford, 3/30/90, Plymouth, NH (Holderness School) *
Abigail Fucigna, 1/9/91, Hopkinton, Mass. (Burke Mountain Academy)
Brooke Wales, 8/28/90, Sammamish, Wash. (Mission Ridge Ski Team)

Staff
Walt Evans, World Junior Team Leader, Kamas, Utah
Randy  Pelkey, Men’s Head Coach, Hood River, Ore.
Thomas Eckfeldt, Men’s Assistant, Salt Lake City
Pepi Culver, Men’s Service, Bozeman, Mont.
Brandie Yeik, Physio, Park City, Utah
John Hale, Women’s Head Coach, Woodland Park, Colo.
Kraig Sourbeer, Women’s Assistant, Stowe, Vt.
Kristian Saile, Women’s Service, Marquette, Mich.
Jeff Pickering, Men and Womens Assistant, Whitefish, Mont.
Alex Pettitdemange, Mens Service, Megeve, France
Dr. Craig Panos, Physician, Kellogg, Idaho

2010 Alpine World Junior Championships Schedule
Men
Jan. 31 – Giant Slalom (Les Houches)
Feb. 1 – Super G (Megeve)
Feb. 2 – Night slalom (Chamonix)
Feb. 6 – Downhill (Megeve)

Women
Jan. 31 – Super G (Megeve)
Feb. 1 – Night slalom (Chamonix)
Feb. 4 – Downhill (Megeve)
Feb. 5 – Giant Slalom (Les Houches)